Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale talks to reporters as he makes his way to Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Feds give $2 million for anti-extremism programs in B.C.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said supporting efforts locally is key to prevention

The federal government announced $2 million for the province to prevent people from becoming radicalized.

The funding, announced Tuesday, will be available for fives years as part of a federal program called “Shift,” which brings municipal governments, community-based organizations and law enforcement together to engage with vulnerable people and develop intervention strategies tailored to that person.

Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam MP Ron McKinnon, who did the announcement on behalf of federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, said in a news release the program allows community experts to “disengage at-risk individuals from radicalizing to violence.”

Funding will help create and support community hubs that connect at-risk people with local counselling, social services, or other tools.

While B.C. has not been home to extremist attacks, incidents in other parts of the country and the U.S. have provoked concern and fear by religious and advocacy groups here.

In a statement, B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said supporting efforts at a local level is key to prevention.

“While we know that the rate of people becoming radicalized to violence in B.C. is quite low, we also know and have seen in multiple instances around the world, that just one violent act can result in tragic consequences,” Farnworth said.